After initially being ranked the 72nd-best player on the top 100 big board by ESPN, the mothership ranks former Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson as the 12th-best available player entering the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night. The New York Jets hold the 12th pick in the second round.
The Jets selected Iowa State edge rusher Will McDonald IV with the 15th overall pick in the first round on Thursday night. NewYorkJets.Com listed the franchise’s “ top four needs are tackle, center, defensive tackle and linebacker. New York drafted CB Sauce Gardner with the fourth pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
ESPN lists 13 NFL teams needing help at CB entering the 2023 NFL Draft. Tyrique Stevenson is also quickly rising up the NFL.Com Draft rankings. NFL.Com ranks Stevenson as the 44th best overall prospect in the 2023 Draft. Fit is important when a player is drafted. NFL.Com projects Stevenson 61st overall to the Chicago Bears.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.Com did a revised mock draft on Friday morning. Zierlein stated that “Stevenson is primarily a press-man cornerback, but he’s talented in that area with the size and strength to bother receivers on the perimeter.” Chicago would still draft Stevenson higher than his original projection.
Steve Muench of ESPN echoed the critique about Stevenson in his pre-draft analysis. Muench mentioned that Stevenson is a tall and lean press corner who is aggressive against the run but needs to be more consistent in wrapping up offensive players. The physicality of Stevenson has been frequently mentionedby draft analysts.
Stevenson is trending slightly below where he was ranked in the 2019 class. When he signed with Georgia out of Miami Southridge, Stevenson was the 37th-ranked prospect, third CB and fourth player in Florida. With Georgia Stevenson primarily played nickel. Stevenson transferred to Miami to be able to play more outside CB.